The National Union of Ghana students (NUGS) has condemned Saturday’s riots at the University of Cape Coast that resulted in the stabbing of three students and destruction of school property.

“The act that characterised the violence which led to several items being vandalised and students seriously injured is one that is hugely frowned upon by the union, as we believe our current dispensation as students thrives on dialogue and not violence,” NUGS said in a statement.

The Union called for investigation into the cause of the clashes. “Along these lines, we call on the administration of the university and the security services to conduct an in-depth investigation into this matter as a matter of urgency and prescribe appropriate sanctions so as to deter others from engaging in these acts in subsequent years,” it added.

“We use this medium to also sympathise with all who were affected in this unfortunate incident, more especially students who were caught up in the chaos and suffered injuries. We admonish that students should refrain from such incidents amidst our quest to entertain ourselves to ensure we have a serene atmosphere for our academic activities.”

The clashes happened when some residents of Commonwealth Hall, known as Vandals (University of Ghana) and Unity Hall (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), who had been invited for a programme at Atlantic Hall (University of Cape Coast) ended up attacking residents of Oguaa Hall (University of Cape Coast) following a misunderstanding.

The skirmishes erupted when porters of Oguaa Hall refused to allow some naked students from the three halls entry.